By DARRELL SMITH, Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sari Pogue, Kirsten Whitefleet and Jennifer Ramos have something in common: The three young Sacramento mothers share the pain of rising costs for everything from food to gasoline to clothing for their growing children.

Scott Farrell has traveled the globe for years searching for jewelry and gifts for his Sacramento boutique Zanzibar Trading, sometimes trekking as many as 300 days a year from Niger to Nepal, Tanzania to Thailand.

It'll be a big wedding season as same-sex marriages become legal in California beginning next week, experts say.

A UCLA study projects that same-sex marriages will pour nearly $684 million into California's economy over the next three years, with more than 118,000 gay and lesbian couples from California and out of state exchanging vows.

The saddest hour of Mary Smith's day started at 4 p.m. inside a hearing room at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Sacramento, Calif. In just minutes, she would publicly reveal to everyone assembled how deeply mired she is in money problems.

Q&A: Pawn shops

Q: How does a pawnshop loan work?

When the economy sours and gold soars, there's one business segment that actually sees more traffic coming in the door. Welcome to the world of pawnbrokers.